Middle East Near You

Defying Constitutional Court, Hamas MPs hold meeting in Gaza

Saleh al-Arouri (L2), deputy leader of Hamas and Ahmad Bahar (C), deputy head of the Palestinian Legislative Council take part in the 19th Friday of Palestine’s “Great Return March," on Gaza-Israeli border in Shuja'iyya neighborhood in Gaza City, Gaza on 3 August, 2018 [Mustafa Hassona/Anadolu Agency]

December 27, 2018 at 2:32 pm

Hamas Parliamentarian Bloc yesterday held a meeting for its MPs in the parliament headquarters in the Gaza Strip in defiance of the decision of Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas to dissolve parliament, a statement said.

Ahmad Bahar, the first deputy speaker, stressed during the meeting that Abbas’ decision to dissolve parliament “is illegal” and reiterated that the parliament “is to continue its work.”

The Palestinian factions in Gaza attended the meeting and announced their support for the elected parliament against the “unilateral” measures taken by Abbas “which do not serve the national interests.”

Bahar accused Abbas of “ignoring the parliament and the Palestinian law”, noting that the Constitutional Court is illegal.

He also condemned the PA security forces which detained the Parliament Speaker Aziz Dwaik along with a number of other MPs in the occupied West Bank, preventing them from reaching the parliament headquarters in Ramallah.

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